A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) assembly may be used as a switching element for an optical communication system. For example, a wavelength selective switch (WSS) may include an LCOS to direct wavelength channels of light to different optical ports of the WSS. The LCOS assembly may include multiple components, such as an LCOS mounting post to mount the LCOS assembly in alignment with another optical element of the optical communication system, an LCOS carrier, an LCOS die, an LCOS cover glass, and/or the like.
The LCOS assembly may include components associated with multiple different materials. For example, the LCOS assembly may include an LCOS carrier of a first type of material, such as aluminum nitride and/or the like, associated with a first coefficient of thermal expansion and an LCOS die of a second type of material, such as silicon and/or the like, associated with a second coefficient of thermal expansion that differs from the first coefficient of thermal expansion by a threshold amount.
Similarly, the LCOS cover glass may include a cavity, and the LCOS die may be attached to the LCOS cover glass to enclose LCOS liquid within the cavity of the LCOS cover glass. The LCOS liquid may be associated with a first coefficient of thermal expansion and another component of the LCOS assembly, such as the LCOS cover glass, the LCOS die, the LCOS carrier, the LCOS mounting post, and/or the like may be associated with a second coefficient of thermal expansion that differs from the first coefficient of thermal expansion by a threshold amount. Based on a mismatch between coefficients of thermal expansion and a thermal sensitivity of the LCOS assembly, a change in temperature may cause the LCOS assembly to become misaligned with one or more other optical elements of an optical communication system.